Laura Robson, her British teammate, giggled when told about proposals to start teaching junior players how to breathe differently.

Sitting alongside Watson following their defeat in the first round of the women's doubles competition, she noted that as they were no longer juniors they would not benefit from the new scheme. "That's a shame," she said with a smile.

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has confirmed that off–putting wails will no longer be tolerated and that umpires will in the future be equipped with grunt-ometers to ensure the maximum levels are not breached.

The loudest known grunt came from Sharapova, who in 2009 was recorded at 105 decibels, equivalent to standing 3ft from a chainsaw.

However, the Russian disclosed that she had had "numerous" conversations with Stacey Allaster, the WTA chief executive, about the plans.

"It's the first person actually that's sat down with many people and coaches and sports psychologists and analysts and really reviewed what could be done," she said.

"I'm really happy with the system that she put forth. Going to the juniors, going to the academies that are producing the young players, and putting a system in place, I think it's extremely smart."

Meanwhile the row over equal pay deepened as French player Gilles Simon, who sparked controversy earlier in the week by stating that men should win more money than women, insisted that men's tennis was more interesting.

Sharapova and Serena Williams, who has won Wimbledon four times, immediately issued sharp rebuttals, arguing that they had struggled for years for equal pay and worked as hard as their male counterparts.

Sharapova said: "I'm sure there are a few more people that watch my matches than his."

Williams backed her rival's stance, saying: "Definitely a lot more people are watching Maria than Simon. She's way hotter than he is...